Virtual world aptitude and interest assessment system and method

ABSTRACT

An aptitude and interest assessment tool identifies one or more sectors for which a user may have a special interest, talent or aptitude. An interactive session is presented to a user. The interactive session provides a virtual world. A user interacts with the virtual world. Some or all of the user&#39;s interactions in the virtual world can be stored in a storage device. The user&#39;s aptitude or interest in a profession or activity is assessed by an assessment module that receives data from the storage device and processes the received data to make a user assessment. A report providing the user assessment is created by a report creator.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/771,881, filed Feb. 10, 2006 and PCT PatentApplication Serial No. PCT/US2007/003818 filed Feb. 12, 2007, and bothapplications claim the benefit of, and incorporate by reference hereinthe subject matters of both applications in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to a system and method for assessing aperson's aptitude and/or interest in a sector or profession.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Parents always want to know if their child has a special talent oraptitude for particular profession. They may see certain traits in thechild but may not have the tools to determine whether the child has anyhidden talents or aptitude. Even if a parent believes their child hassome talent or aptitude, parents want some verification or confirmationas well as guidance on how to nurture or develop the child's talent oraptitude.

In addition, parents may simply want a fun and interesting way to workwith their child to develop a particular talent or interest. Since itcan be difficult keeping a child occupied or interested, a system thatis both fun and educational can be invaluable to parents in determiningwhether a child has a special talent or aptitude, and to further developa talent or aptitude.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aptitude and interest assessment tool identifies one or more sectorsfor which a user may have a special interest, talent or aptitude. Aninteractive session is presented to a user. The interactive sessionprovides a virtual world. A user interacts with the virtual world. Someor all of the user's interactions in the virtual world can be stored ina storage device. The user's aptitude or interest in a profession oractivity is assessed by an assessment module that receives data from thestorage device and processes the received data to make a userassessment. A report providing the user assessment is created by areport creator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is diagrammatic representation showing an example of an aptitudeand interest assessment (AIA) system.

FIG. 2 is diagrammatic representation showing an example of theinteraction between various AIA routines and sub-routines that may beprocessed by an AIA program.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for assessing aptitude andinterest for one or more sectors, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart providing an example of informational gatheringperformed by the AIA system.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart providing an example of a process that may be usedby the AIA interface to determine AIA, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart providing another example of a process that may beused by the AIA interface to determine AIA, in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an AIA feedback process, inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for recommending one or moresectors for a parent or child to consider, in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 9 shows an example of an AIA interface page that may be accessibleby AIA system members and non-members.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a members only AIA interface page.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for retrieving a sector ina aptitude and interest assessment system, in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method for assessing aptitude andinterest for one or more sectors, in accordance with a virtual worldembodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method for assessing aptitude andinterest for one or more sectors, in accordance with another virtualworld embodiment.

FIG. 14 shows an embodiment of an island in a virtual world.

FIG. 15 illustrates an input interface that may be provided in a AIAsystem, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 16 illustrates a block diagram of a input interface system, inaccordance with an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An Aptitude and Interest Assessment (AIA) system can be used to assess,for example, aptitude, interest, acumen and talent of children andadults towards one or more sectors. As described herein, a sector mayinclude a particular occupation, profession, talent area, field and/orarea. The AIA system can be used to discover hidden or unknown talentswhile providing a fun, entertaining and educational experience.

A parent or other adult can run an AIA on a child to determine whetherthe child has a particular talent, shows a passion, acumen and/orability towards a particular sector. As described herein, the AIA systemcan be used for Acumen and Talent Assessment in Children (ATAC), forexample. Of course, the AIA can be performed without supervision byindividuals of appropriate age. The AIA may be performed using a virtualworld, various types of games including interactive games andquestion/answer sessions. Virtual world includes but is not limited to(1) single player, (2) massively multiplayer online role-playing gamesor MMORPGs where the user playing a specific character is a main featureof the game, (3) massively multiplayer online real-life/rogue-like gamesor MMORLGs, the user can edit and alter their avatar at will, allowingthem to play a more dynamic role, or multiple roles.

The games and/or interactive sessions (including virtual worlds) for theAIA, as described herein, may be provided on-line (e.g., via aweb-site), on a DVD, CD, downloaded on a personal computer or otherdevice, provided on a gaming station, or a portable game, another typeof device or any combination thereof. Although a website, including avirtual world website, may be provided for the AIA, a website is notnecessary to implement the AIA.

In one example, the child views a video relating to a particular sectorand plays a game to act out a role as a professional in the chosensector. The sector can be chosen by the parent or child or recommendedby the AIA system. The video shown to the child under assessment mayinclude “a day in the life” of an actual person in a particular sector(e.g., I. M. Pei for architecture). The games could be, for example,video games, animations, computer games, virtual world games, boardgames and/or a combination of games. While the child plays the games thesystem uses the input from the game to assess the child. The gamesprovide, for example, the child with an experience of what it would belike to be working or performing in the chosen sector or talent area. Asone example, the child may take part in a reality game in which thechild actually plays the part of an individual in the chosen sector(e.g., doctor, lawyer, architect, construction worker, baseball player,etc.). Thus, the child gets first hand experience of what it would belike to be working in that field. In an embodiment, a virtual world isused and a game or series of games may be presented in which a sector ofinterest may be explored, and subsequently assessed by the system.

While playing the games, the child may be provided with variousobstacles, puzzles, and challenges, relating to the sector, that maychange with the child's responses. The child will also be presented withquestions that relate to the child's experiences in that role and relateto that sector. For consistency in assessment, the virtual world videos,games or assessment sessions may last for a predetermined fixed periodof time. For example, the video may be 5 minutes in duration and thegames may be 15 minutes in duration. If the video or game cannot becompleted, the child can return to complete and continue the assessmentprocess. Of course, the video and/or games can be of any time duration.

In the AIA system, the virtual world video, games, questions and otherinteraction with the child are based on the age or skill level of thechild. Thus, if the child is, for example, 2 years old, then the video,games, questions will be directed to that age level. Even the technologyused for interaction may be directed to the child's age. Older childrenwill be presented with video, games, questions, or interactiontechnology directed to their age. Thus, the child can comprehend what isbeing presented and the assessment process will be meaningful. In oneexample, the AIA system, described herein, (e.g., video content, games,questions or technology) may be directed to children between the ages of2 to 9. The AIA system can also be directed to younger or olderindividuals.

The games in the system may be created as 2D flash games, played as 3Dgames with or without an avatar and/or played as live action videogames. The games may connect to the real world, real world situationsand/or real world situations may connect to the games. Optionally oradditionally, the games may connect to other games so similar attributesmay be used by the player and analyzed, and the results can be compared.

During the games, question/answer or interaction sessions, variousparameters are measured and recorded along with the child's responses.In addition to measuring correct or incorrect responses, successfulcompletion of a game, obstacle, puzzle, etc., other parameters may bemeasured and used to measure the child's overall performance and/orperformance in a particular category. The categories may includequickness of responses, quickness in completing one or more obstacles,challenges, puzzles or games, the child's reactions, enjoyment level orother parameters may be measured. Some categories may be measuredautomatically or manually, while other may be measured based on inputfrom the child or parent (e.g., enjoyment level of the game and/orsector). The parameters and responses are processed, as described below,and an output is provided to the parents.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) or similar technologies may be used in allaspects of the AIA system. For example, the AIA system may use AI tointeract with the parent/child, process the games, ask questions,request input and/or present output. In addition, AI technologies may beused to recognize, identify and/or process the responses and measuredparameters, and to generate a useful and meaningful assessment. The AItechnologies include all known and future technologies. AI processesinclude automated reasoning and machine learning. The AI technologiesinclude, but are not limited to, decision trees, Expert Systems, FuzzyLogic Natural Language Processing/Understanding, and/or Latent SemanticAnalysis (LSA). The AIA system may use one or more of these or othertechnologies in one or more aspects (e.g., game processing, game play,response analysis, interaction, assessment analysis, result analysis,output, etc.) of the AIA system.

The output may contain information indicating how much the child enjoyedthe game, how much the child learned and whether the child has anynatural acumen or talent in the sector. The parent may also be providedwith other recommendations, for the child, such as joining clubsassociated with a particular sector, performing other activitiesrelating to the sector, contacting an expert in that particular sector,viewing recommended programs, and/or running additional assessments.

FIG. 1 is diagrammatic representation showing an example of an AIAsystem 100. The AIA system 100 includes AIA software and content 110.The AIA software and content 110 may be provided on a CD, DVD ordownloaded from an AIA server 140. The AIA software and content 110 maybe installed on the client device 120. The client device 120 may be acomputer, a PDA, cell phone, interactive television (e.g., IPTV), atelevision that includes a smart set top box, palm top computer, tabletPC, a mobile device or any other electronic device. The games can beplayed and/or the assessment process performed, for example, on theclient device. The games or interactive sessions may be animated, liveaction video, virtual world games including avatar play, game enginesand/or thought games.

The aptitude, acumen, talent, and/or interest assessment (also referredto herein as “the AIA” or “the assessment”) can be preformed using theAIA system 100 and/or on a stand alone client device (e.g., installedwith the AIA software and content). The assessment preferably includesproviding the video content, the playing and processing of the games,receipt, processing and analysis of the various responses and measuredparameters, output of results and recommendations, and/or otherfeatures, as described herein. Although the term “aptitude” is usedherein, this term may broadly refer to one or more of aptitude,interest, acumen and talent for a particular sector.

The client device 120 may be stand alone or coupled to a network 125.The network 125 is a communications network that includes, for example,a public switched telephone network (PSTN), an Integrated ServicesDigital Network (ISDN), a cellular network, a digital mobile network, aPersonal Communication Systems (PCS) network, an Internet, an intranet,a signaling system 7 (SS7) network, a local area network (LAN), asatellite network, an advance intelligent network (AIN), any suitabledigital or analog network, a broadband network such as a cable network,any other suitable national and/or international communications networkor any combination thereof.

The network 125 includes a plurality of switches, communicationinterfaces, and/or other components that are not shown for convenience.The communications provided using the network 125 include hard-line,wireless, RF, optical, or any other type of communications or anycombination thereof. The various devices, systems, networks, etc. may beappropriately configured or equipped with hardware and/or software tooperate in such environments.

The client device 120, with the AIA software and content 110 installed,is used to access the AIA interface/website 130 via network 125. The AIAinterface 130 is provided by AIA game and assessment server 140. Asdescribed herein, processing of the interface 130 and interaction withuser may occur at the AIA game and assessment server 140 and/or anotherserver (not shown). The AIA game and assessment server 140 may providethe user interfaces, various games, processes the AIA and generates theAIA output, as described herein. As described above, the AIA server 140may use various techniques such as artificial intelligence (AI) toprovide games, generate assessments and provide output. The AIA server140 accesses content 150. The content 150 may include a virtual world,various game programs and associated game content, video content,question/answer sets, assessment programs, sector information, and/orother information relating to various sectors. The content 150 may belocated internal to or external to the AIA server 140.

FIG. 2 is diagrammatic representation showing an example of theinteraction between various AIA routines and sub-routines that may beprocessed by AIA program. The various AIA routines and/or sub-routinesmay be processed by one or more devices in the AIA system 100, forexample, the AIA game and assessment server 140, at the client device120, other locations such as in the network 125, and/or any combinationthereof. One or more of the various routines and/or sub-routines, asdescribed herein, may be included in or processed by the AIA softwareand content 110.

In one example, the various routines may include a child/user interfaceroutine 210 that interfaces with the game routine 220 to provide theinteractive games and question/answer sessions to children that are usedfor AIA purposes. The game routine 220 may provide a virtual world inwhich the child may practice a sector (occupation, profession, talentarea, field and/or area). The game routine 220 receives the userresponses from the child interface routine 210 and the responses arecollected by the information collection routine 240. The responsesinclude responses to various questions presented during the game and theresults of a particular obstacle, challenge, puzzle or objectivepresented during the game. In this example, the game routine 220 orinformation collection routine 240 may receive or measure variousparameters such as the duration of a game, the amount of time it takesto complete a particular obstacle, challenge, puzzle or objectivepresented during the game and other information that may be used todetermine aptitude or interest associated with a particular sector. Theresponses and measured parameters are processed by the assessmentroutine 230 which provides the AIA and generates output providingresults of the assessment. The assessment routine may generate a userattribute, as describe herein. The game routine 220 draws informationfrom the content database 260 to generate the various games, questionsand other information (e.g., video content, sector information, etc.).The assessment routine 230 may also draw information from the contentdatabase 260 to perform the AIA.

An artificial intelligence (AI) routine 235 may also be used in theassessment (and gaming) process and interface with the assessmentroutine 230, as needed. The AI routine 235 may use AI technologies (asdescribed above), for example, Natural Language Processing/Understanding(e.g., for some of the more creative sectors), Fuzzy Logic (e.g., tomake basic assumptions), Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) (e.g., in somesectors), Expert Systems (e.g., in some of the sectors) and/or othertechnologies. AI routine 235 may, for example, be used to measureagainst a model, against other entries and look for extreme exampleswhich could determine that a child a natural acumen for a sector.

Once the AIA is completed by the assessment routine 230, an output isgenerated and provided to the AIA results/feedback routine 250. Theoutput may be generated using, for example, Natural Language Generation(NLG), an expert system, or other technologies. The output may containinformation indicating, for example, how much the child enjoyed the game(e.g., based on input from the child and/or parent), how much the childlearned (e.g., calculated automatically, and/or based on input from thechild and/or parent) and whether the child has any natural acumen ortalent in the sector (e.g., as determined by the AIA system). The outputor results may include other recommendations such as joining clubs(e.g., after the assessment is completed) associated with a particularsector, performing other activities relating to the sector, contactingan expert in a particular sector, viewing recommended programs, and/orrunning additional assessments.

A parent or individual supervising the assessment may access the outputusing the parent interface routine 245. The parent interface routine 245may be password protected so that unauthorized individuals or childrendo not have access to the AIA output or results. The parent may providefeedback indicating observations or provide other input relating to theassessment process back to the AIA system. This feedback may be relatedto the child's performance or reaction to a particular sectorassessment. This feedback information from a parent may be used by theassessment routine 230 and/or the game routine 220, for example, tomodify or customize future assessments for that particular child.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for assessing aptitude andinterest for one or more sectors, in accordance with an embodiment. Uponlogging onto the AIA interface 130, hosted by the AIA server 140, an AIAintroduction screen is presented (310). The client device 120 with theAIA software and content 110 installed may be used to access the AIAinterface 130. The interface 130 collects game level information and/orthe age of the child (or other individual) for who the assessment isdesired (320). The game level information represents the level of thegame to be played by the child. The game level may be selectedautomatically based on the age of the child but may be changed. A listof sectors is presented for selection. The list of sectors may includeover 200 occupations, professions, talent areas, fields, and/or areasthat can be selected for assessment to determine if the child has aparticular acumen or talent for a particular sector. The interface 130receives the selection of one or more sectors for assessment (330). Thevarious information can be entered by the child or by the parent if thechild is young. Once the game level, age and/or sector selections arereceived, a video may be presented for viewing on the client device 120(340). The video will be related to the chosen sector (e.g., “a day inthe life”) and will be at the age level that can be understood by thechild. The video may provide information about the chosen sector such aswhat an individual in that sector does or is required to know, forexample. One or more videos can be presented for viewing, if desired.

Once the video is viewed, one or more information gathering interfacesare presented on the client device 120 (350). These informationgathering interfaces include virtual worlds, games, question/answersessions, actions, and/or inputs (e.g., clicks, selections, key boardinputs, joystick inputs, or any other types of inputs). The child playsthe game and answers the presented questions. Once the game andquestion/answer session is completed, interest and enjoyment informationis requested from the child and gathered by the AIA interface 130 (355).Using a sliding scale, the child can indicate how much they really likeor did not like playing the game. The child may also be asked toindicate whether the child learned anything from the interaction orassessment (e.g., knowledge gained information). The child may alsoindicate whether and/or how much the child enjoyed a chosen sector. Theenjoyment indicator is preferably a sliding scale.

The results of the virtual world, game and question/answer session, andother parameter information (e.g., time duration to answer a question,complete a game, make a decision, etc.), as described herein, and isprocessed to determine aptitude and interest levels the child has for aparticular sector (360). A parent can privately logon to the AIAinterface 130 and review the results or output of the assessment andprovide input back to the AIA interface 130 that can be used for futureassessments (370). The AIA interface 130 may provide recommendations ofone or more sectors the child may have a interest and/or talent for tothe parents (380). The AIA interface 130 may recommend future tasks thatthe child should perform to further develop their interest and talent(380). The AIA interface 130 may recommend that the child should join aclub associated with the recommended sector, perform other activitiesrelating to that sector, work with an expert in that sector, viewrecommended programs, and/or perform additional assessments. The parentor child can choose another sector (385) and the process can be repeatedas shown in FIG. 3. A sliding scale may be used to enable the player toinput interest level information (e.g., did the player like the game orsession) for a particular game or interactive session.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart providing an example of informational gathering(410) performed by the AIA system. The process shown in FIG. 4 detailssteps 350 and 355, shown in FIG. 3. The AIA interface 130 provides oneor more games (including virtual worlds) associated with the chosensector for selection, during the information gathering (410 and 420).The interface 130 receives information identifying the selected game andprovides game instructions and objectives to the client device 120(430). The interface 130 may provide game levels for selection or maydetermine level of the game that should be played by the child based onpreviously collected level and age Information (440). Also, the providedgames or experience may be stage one and/or stage two games, asdescribed below. The interface 130 may be a website or may be aninterface provided by a stand alone personal computer, CD, DVD, deviceor game (e.g., a gaming station or a portable game).

Once the game and/or game level have been selected, the selected gamecan be played by the child (445). Initially, the player selectscharacter and other information associated with the selected and sector.For example, the player can be themselves or a fictional character (oran animal) in the game. In virtual worlds, an avatar may be used. Theplayer can choose a character to be the protagonist in the game or bethe protagonist themselves. The character or the player may beassociated with the sector chosen for the AIA. The goal of each of thevarious games that can be played may be different for each game. Forexample, the game can be an adventure game to meet a goal, complete thegame, win money, be king, accumulate points, get meals, etc. Theobjective of the game may be to go as far as the child can go as acharacter in the game relying on their talent, skills, intelligence,acumen, for the sector. The player tries to get the most points, money,etc. As the child plays the game, the child is learning about the sector(e.g., profession, sport, etc.). The child can meet people, play in thefirst person, encounter and overcome obstacles, gain victories, makedecisions, laugh and enjoy the game. The games may provide continualpep-talks to the child to keep the child's interest and/or encourage thechild. The games may be termed as “B1” (e.g., be the “one” or be thecharacter) and play the game as the character. The games may includehumor (e.g., cartoon characters or Three Stooges video) to keep thechild's interest and make the game enjoyable. The character may makemistakes (“Uh ohs”) and be able to learn from those mistakes. While, thegame is played, the child's actions, responses, etc. are recorded andanalyzed for AIA purposes, as described herein. There may be over 200games or virtual world activities (e.g., one for each sector) that canbe provided by the AIA system.

The interface 130 receives the character, avatar and other informationfrom the player (450) and processes the information. As the gameprogresses, the player is faced with, for example, various obstacles,challenges, puzzles and experiences associated with the chosen sectors.As the player progresses through the various obstacles, challenges,puzzles and experiences, the player's responses are received andrecorded (455 and 460). The players responses may be used to in realtime to provide additional obstacles, challenges, etc. that are used forassessment purposes. As the game continues, associated information andparameters are measured and recorded (460). The other information andparameters may include the duration of a game, the amount of time ittakes the player to complete a particular obstacle, challenge, puzzle orobjective presented during the game and other information that may beused to determine aptitude or interest associated with a particularsector. In addition, the player is presented with questions during thegame and the answers are also recorded (465). Once the game is complete,the interest or enjoyment information is gathered (470) automatically ormanually (e.g., input by child or parent). The various responses,measured parameters, interest or enjoyment information, knowledge gainedinformation, and/or other information is provided to the assessmentserver 140 and used to determine the assessment output (475). Ifdesired, the parent or child can choose to have an additionalinteractive session such as play another game (480) and the process canbe repeated as shown in FIG. 4.

The games may be divided in to one or more stages for player interactionand system assessment. For example, stage one may be a singularexperience provided as the player plays the games, and the systemassesses aptitude. At the end of stage one, the player may be givensuggestions of one or more sectors. Optionally or additionally, in stagetwo, the player may interact and live out fantasies, especially as theyrelate to a particular profession. For example, the game may be a game(e.g., an on-line game) providing a virtual world to the child in whichthe child may face scenarios, obstacles, activities or the like that aperson may face in a particular profession. In stage two, for example, aplayer may play a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) with otherplayers relating to a profession or talent area.

In an embodiment, the player may accumulate assets and currency, andexplore a virtual world. The games may relate to a profession chosen bythe player or the profession may be decided based on a questionnaire, avideo, a game previously played, determined by the AIA system and/ordetermined in the virtual world as the player interacts and performstasks and faces challenges. Stage two may be provided in addition toand/or to confirm the sector identified in stage one.

In some cases, obstacles or challenges faced by the player may beexactly the same as a professional may face during the course of a day,week, month, etc. For example, if the profession chosen or presented isa “doctor,” the game may provide an entire world of medicine, forexample, for the player to explore. The game may involve a variety oftasks, to some extent or another, such as taking the MCATs (medicalcollege admission tests), going to medical school, being a resident,and/or interfacing with patients, nurses, other doctors, etc. The gamemay provide an entire virtual word for the player to explore theparticular career, profession, or talent area. The game may last hoursor days, and the player can choose to continue play and face newobstacles (e.g., a new day or a new challenge) or repeat portions of thegame (e.g., the previous day or previous obstacle) to improveperformance. The AIA system may assess the players performance in thevirtual world game and provide assessment of natural talent in eachsector.

In an embodiment, the obstacles or challenges provided in the virtualworld may be modified so that they resemble obstacles that aprofessional may face but the challenges are more appropriate for theage of the player. The obstacle or challenge may be used to gauge (e.g.,based on AI systems, formulas, studies, research, expert opinion, and/ora combination of such techniques) how the player may perform in aparticular field. The single or multi-stage virtual game or a series ofgames may be provided on a computer, interactive gaming system, or thelike. The computer system may be stand-alone (e.g., a CD, DVD, ordownloadable) or may be on-line or a combination of the two. The gamescould include multi-players so that interaction between other playerscan be measured, and used to determine the assessment, if desired.

A sector may be assigned a hierarchy of attributes. The attributes maybe natural attributes, associated with the profession, rather thantaught. Each sector may be assigned at least one attribute that is a“must have” or most important attribute for that sector. The importantattribute is defined as a quality or characteristic that a person inthat sector must have. For example, a important attribute for anengineer is analytical skills. A sector may have more than one attributethat is considered important for that sector. The sector may have otherattributes that are less important for that sector, but nonethelessindicate a quality for a person in that sector. The cross-referencesattributes and sectors may be stored in an attribute database.

In an embodiment, a player may play a game, for example, to determinethe player or user attribute(s). The user attribute may be compared tothe important attributes stored in the attribute/sector database. Once amatch for the user attribute is found with respect to a importantattribute for a particular sector from the database, the correspondingsector or sectors for the matched important attribute may be retrievedfrom the database. The retrieved sector may represent a sector for whichthe user may have interest or aptitude.

In an embodiment, a stage two interactive sessions (e.g., games) mayprovide a virtual world for the player to play and interact. As theplayer plays the one or more games associated with that sector, theplayer's performance is analyzed and/or recorded. In this manner, thesystem can confirm or verify the player high rating for a particularattribute. A routine in the system, such as the assessment routine, maymonitor the player's performance to determine or calculate a verifiedattribute for the player. The verified attribute may be compared withthe user attribute to determine or confirm whether the player wouldactually be successful in the retrieved sector.

In the various interactive sessions, the player may be presented with aplurality of games, obstacles, and/or challenges that are used todetermine or verify an attribute. The games may be spread out in thecourse of several sessions, which may be administered in one day orseveral different days to make sure that the results are accurate.

The system, individual games and/or assessment tools may include ascoring or ratings interface for the player to choose or enter how theywould rate a specific game or task. The scoring or rating interface mayinclude various parameters for the player to enter or select. Forexample, the player could input how much the player liked a specificgame or task, how much they enjoyed playing in that profession and/orwhether they might try it in stage two, for example. The scoringinterface could also include additional inputs such as how user friendlythe game task was or whether there were any specific things that wereparticularly enjoyable, while others that were not. The scoring orrating interface may include a sliding scale or slider where the childcan move a bar to indicate their whether or not they liked a particulargame. The scoring or rating interfaces may be designed for kids oradults.

The games and tasks as described herein may be about talent areas and/orprofessions. In an embodiment, a game or task in a virtual world maypermit the player to play games, accumulate possessions, accumulatecurrency, accumulate points, can create objects and/or a combination ofthese. The player can create or be provided with a selection of avatarsthat can be modified and used throughout the assessment. The player cansee other avatars and can interact with them as, for example, otherplayers in a profession, and/or “helpers” or mentors. The mentors canalso be experts in a particular fields who may assist the players bylive interaction, as a computer character or a combination of both.

In a virtual world, the player may interact or live in the virtualworld, playing a role or acting out a fantasy, such as in a particularprofession. The virtual world may provide a more interactive experiencefor the player, as the player lives in the virtual world and obtains anidentity of a person in a particular sector. In some cases, the playermay take a “course” in interaction safety before starting stage two. Thesystem may provide assessments in both stage one and stage two, as theplayer plays the games and/or interacts in a profession. The assessmentresults in the various stages may be measured and output separately orcollectively.

In an embodiment, the player is able to create content for the games orinteractive interfaces. Tools are provided so that the players cancreate their own content, such as create buildings (like Legos andsandcastles), build a new business, create a new business kit and/orcreate a new business using a business kit. The players can be guided byexperienced or older players (e.g., older kids or experts) mentors foryounger kids or inexperienced players to help them use the tools, playgames and/or complete tasks.

As a player plays a game or completes a task, they can accumulatecurrency or points in the various stages (e.g., stages one and two). Theplayer may get the currency for visiting a game, for seeing a video,and/or for playing a game to completion. This currency may represent areward for the player's accomplishments, that may be redeemed from otherplayers, from sponsors, etc.

The various games or interactive sessions may last for one game, days,weeks or months. A player may register for a make believe adventure andcan create his/her avatar, for example. As the player plays the game,the player can build their home or temporary home, explore theirenvironment (e.g., island, city, town), visit places (e.g., restaurant,movies), build possessions, acquire possessions, the player can createcontent that may become part of their environment and/or the child cancreate the history for that environment that can be transferred to latergame play, stages or other games. While a player is in a game, theplayer may be transported into another game for a glimpse of future gameplay, to maintain or arouse interest.

In a virtual world, the player may build a home, open a business, go toa school, practice a profession, accumulate possessions and/or currency,play games (e.g., online games, multi-player online games, massivelymultiplayer online games (MMOGs), corporate games), interact with theenvironment, interact with characters, interact with other players,and/or act as an avatar in a sector. In an embodiment, the player maybuild a dream school which represent the manner the child may want tolearn. For example, no boundaries will be set in the school, the schoolwill be fun, personalized and/or offer a wide variety of subjects. Thisstage may include a stock market for kids, a television network, and/orinclude games that are collaborative or involve friends.

As described herein, the various games and interaction sessions, aredesigned to monitor the performance (e.g., action and/or reaction) ofthe player in the game. The AIA system may use the performance datagathered to assess the player's interest or acumen towards a particulartalent area or profession. As used herein, a player can be a child,adolescent or an adult. Although the term “games” is used herein, thisterm also refers to tools that provide interaction to the playerincluding virtual world tools and are used to gauge performance and/ordetermine interest or acumen towards a particular talent area orprofession. The interaction tools should be enjoyable for the player tomaintain interest. On the backend, as described herein, the games mayinclude software, artificial intelligence or similar technologies thatprocess the information gathered from the interaction by the player tocalculate or provide feedback. The feedback may include an assessmentindicating a particular sector for the player to consider and/or thefeedback may include a recommendation of further steps the player mayconsider (e.g., play another game, consult an expert, watch a video,join a club).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart providing an example of a process that may be usedby the AIA interface 130 client computer or other device to determineAIA (510), in accordance with an embodiment. This process may useartificial intelligence (AI) to determine the assessment, as describedherein. The AIA process shown in FIG. 5 details an example of step 360,shown in FIG. 3. This process may also be implemented in stage oneand/or stage two interaction. The AIA interface 130 receives responsesand associated information recorded during game play and processes thisinformation (520). As part of the processing of the received responsesand associated information, the game results are analyzed to determineresults of the various obstacles and challenges (530). A determinationis made as to which obstacles, challenges, etc. the player succeeded incompleting and which ones the player did not. The various obstacles andchallenges may be weighted differently and a sub-total weight may becalculated adding the weights for all the obstacles and challenges thatwere completed successfully. A total weight may be established bysubtracting from the calculated sub-total a weight for all of theobstacles and challenges presented during the game that were notcompleted successfully. The total weight may be used to determine thechild's AIA for a particular sector.

As the player traverses the various obstacles or challenges or answersthe questions, many of the player's inputs or answers may be correct,however one or more inputs or answers may be the “best” or requiredresponse. If the best response is provided, the “best” response may becompared and analyzed, and given the higher weighting and may play animportant role in the AIA process. Optionally or additionally, thecurrency or points accumulated by the child during game play (or otherkids' experiences playing something created by the child) may be usedduring the assessment process, for example, to determine the child'sattributes.

In another embodiment, a variable or other indicator may be used touniquely represent each attribute by computer language or code. Theseattribute variables may be used to determine the user's attribute forthe assessment. Comparisons can be made by the computer code using theunique identifier.

In addition, the duration of time spent in completing the game(including virtual world) and in completing the various obstacles andchallenges may be determined based on the parameters and associatedinformation received (540). The timing information for particularobstacles and challenges may also be weighted and the weights may beconsidered when calculating the total time for completing a game and/oran obstacle or a set of obstacles, for example. The gathered interestand enjoyment information may also be processed and used for the AIA(550). The AIA interface 130 may also calculate a level of knowledgethat may have been gained by the user during the process of watching thevideo content, playing the game and answering the various questions (orthis information may be provided by the child or parent). Once thevarious information collected from the player is processed, an aptitudeand interest level is calculated based on the game results, timeduration, the interest and enjoyment information, and knowledge gainedinformation (560) and an output is generated. The output is provided tothe parents for analysis (570). The output may contain informationindicating how much the child enjoyed the game, profession and/or talentarea, how much the child learned and whether the child has any naturalacumen or talent in the sector that was chosen for assessment. Asdescribed above, the parent may also be provided with otherrecommendations (e.g., stage three activities) for the child, such asjoining clubs, corporate camps, schools and/or training associated witha particular sector, performing other activities relating to the sector,contacting an expert in that particular sector, viewing recommendedprograms, and/or running additional assessments.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart providing another example of a process that may beused by the AIA interface 130 to determine AIA, in accordance with anembodiment. FIG. 6 illustrates the aptitude and interest assessmentprocess also using artificial intelligence technology such as LatentSemantic Analysis (LSA) or Natural Language Processing/Understanding(610). After the player completes the game, the AIA interface 130receive the responses and associated information recorded during gameplay, question/answer session, interest and enjoyment information andknowledge gained information (620). In this example, ArtificialIntelligence (AI) technologies such as LSA or Natural LanguageProcessing/Understanding may be used to analyze certain input providedby the player. Other AI technologies (as described above) may be used inthe AIA processing. AI technology can be used to measure against amodel, against other entries and look for extreme examples which coulddetermine that a child a natural acumen for a sector. For example, usingAI, typed inputs by the child or parent, on behalf of the child, may beidentified and recognized (630). The weighting and “best” answer process(described above) may be used for analysis and assessment purposes. Therecognized inputs may be compared to predetermined answers that aresystem has previously categorized as, for example, extraordinary, best,smart, average or unintelligible answers (640). Thus, the AI system canrecognize extraordinary answers to determine whether the child has anatural aptitude or acumen for a particular sector. The AI system canalso learn based on the responses recognized and can provide improvedanalysis with time. The AIA system using the artificial intelligencetechnology may provide an improved assessment. The system calculates theAIA results and outputs the results to parents (650 and 660).

As the assessment results are processed by the AIA system, as describedherein, various skill sets (e.g., judgment, sharpness, quick thinking,etc.) may be identified and scored for the child. One or more skill setsmay map to different sectors or talent areas. For example, there may bea “cross pollination” of skill sets among one or more sectors. Theseskill sets may be used for the AIA to determine acumen, talent orinterest for a particular sector or sectors.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an AIA feedback process (710). Theprocess illustrated may be used to provide results of the AIA process toparents or other individual supervising or overseeing an AIA. As shown,a supervisor, such as a parent, can log into the AIA interface using aunique identifier and password (720). This section may be isolated fromthe section the child has access to. Once the unique identifier andpassword are authenticated, the system retrieves the AIA output based onthe received unique identifier (730) and provides it to the parent. TheAIA interface 130 outputs the results for the sector that was selectedfor assessment. The AIA output may indicate acumen, ability, interestand/or talent for the associated sector (740). The AIA output may alsoindicating appeal and passion for the associated sector (750). The AIAoutput may also indicate whether the child gained any knowledge (760).As described above, the output may contain information indicating, forexample, how much the child enjoyed the game, how much the child learnedand whether the child has any natural acumen or talent in the sector.The output may include other recommendations (e.g., stage threeactivities) such as joining clubs associated with a particular sector,performing other activities relating to the sector, contacting an expertin a particular, viewing recommended programs, and/or running additionalassessments (770).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for recommending one or moresectors for a parent or child to consider, in accordance with anembodiment. The AIA interface 130 presents an introduction screen (810).The AIA interface 130 collects level and age information (820). One ormore information gathering interfaces such as virtual world, games,questions, video content, etc. is presented on the client device 120 tocollect aptitude and interest information (830). The collectedinformation is processed using the assessment routine 230, for example(840). Based on the processed information (840), additional informationgathering interfaces may be provided. The AIA interface 130 maydetermine one or more sectors the child may have aptitude for andinterest in (850). The one or more determined sectors is presented tothe user for selection (860). Based on the selection, video contentrelating to the selected sector (or sectors) may be presented on theclient device 120 (865). The sector selection may be narrowed further,if desired (870). If further narrowing is not required, the determinedsectors that the child may have acumen for are presented to the parent(875). A sector may be selected and recommendations and future tasksbased on the selected sector are provided to the parent (880).

FIGS. 9 and 10 examples of web pages that may be presented by AIAinterface 130. FIG. 9 shows an example of the AIA home page 900 that maybe accessible by anyone (AIA system members and non-members). The homepage 900 provides links to “members only” pages and also providesadditional information relating to the AIA system. Non-members canreceive more information and also become members of the AIA system.

FIG. 10 shows an example of an members only AIA page 1000. Only AIAmembers with the appropriate subscription can access this page. Thispage 1000 provides a “Kids Section” and a “Parent Section.” If a childis of an appropriate age, the child can run a AIA session using page1000 without assistance. If a child is too young, a parent or supervisorcan run an AIA for the child using the parent section. The parentsection may include additional information and links, as shown. Theselinks include a “Retrieve AIA session results” link. This link providesaccess to the AIA output and results and may require a unique identifierand password for access. Of course, the AIA web pages 900 and 1000 mayinclude additional links. The web pages 900 and 1000 are provided onlyas examples. In one embodiment, a Parents Virtual World is madeavailable. Parents may interact with other parents and obtain assessmentreports or output through the Parents Virtual World.

As described above, in some cases, a “stage three” for parents who wanttheir kids to learn more on a specific talent area may be provided. Thismay include, a club, a TV show and/or an online TV show, interactiveactivities, virtual world and even games played against other kids andlearning from a role model, quintessential or expert in that sector. TheAIA system may provide TV shows with do-alongs, if parent and childchoose to play with the show. The child and/or parent may work withnational associations in each talent sector and/or a major company inthat field and also choose the expert, role model or quintessential inthat field. The AIA system may be provided as kit (e.g., that may bepurchased, rented, or subscribed to) that includes a DVD or CD-ROM thatconnects to the AIA websites or interfaces and has videos of a day inthe life in each sector or talent area. The kit may also include boardgames or video/computer games. For example, a parent can order asubscription for a price to receive 15-20 games (relating to differentsectors) per period. The AIA system may also be provided as a “grannypack” kit of two games that are sold separately and cover games not inthe subscriptions—yet connect online as does the others. Parents may beguided on how to do their own assessments and observations.

As described above, the games measure the individual experience in agame but also the results from similar games and/or skill sets. If thereare good results from those similar skill sets this is also importantoutput for the parent and for the assessment. The AIA may use “expertsystems” in each vertical to download from specialized expert in thatarea so that questions/answers/assumptions can be made. Also, other datamay be gathered from experts and used for comparison on the performanceof a user. This historical or expert data can be used in the analysis orassessment process to compare an expert's performance with that of auser or to combine with other assessment results.

A partial list of sectors or talent areas include:

Small business—entrepreneur

CEO—Boss—Deal maker

Architecture

Sales person—natural born salesman

Technologist

Chef

Inventor—making things better—improvements

Inventor—seeing things/creating what others don't see

Doctor

Film Maker

music creator

fiction writer—story teller

reporter

detective—solving things

Ad creator

TV producer

games or toy developer

space—or the Sea

fashion-designer

computers—CS

politician—debater

archeology

languages

veterinarian

engineer

helping people

robotics—

carpentry—builder

loves foreign countries—cultures

loves money—banker—investments

artist

teacher

athlete or sports related career (baseball player, football player,basketball player, etc).

The above list is only a partial list and any number of professions,fields, areas, talent areas can be included and used in the AIA processdescribed herein.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for retrieving a sector ina aptitude and interest assessment system, in accordance with anembodiment. An aptitude and interest assessment session may start withan interactive session presented to a user, as shown in 1115. Theinteractive session may include one or more information gatheringinterfaces to solicit information from or about the user. Theinformation gathering interfaces (including virtual world) may beprovided via user interface module, which may be any input device orinput means or interfaces. The information gathering interfaces may begames, questions and/or other input requests to gather information fromthe user. User inputs are received in response to the one or moreinformation gathering interfaces, as shown in 1120. The user inputs areprocessed, as shown in 1125. The user inputs may be processed using anassessment module (e.g., 230).

A user attribute is determined based on the processed user inputs, asshown in 1130. The determined user attribute indicates the user'saptitude or interest for a particular sector. The user attribute mayindicate the strength of the user in that attribute. In one example,questions or situations presented in the various information gatheringinterfaces (e.g., actions during game play, questions during game play,question answer sessions, expert consultation session, etc.) may beassociated with one or more attributes. For example, if a user isperforming a task or mission in a game and a particularly interestingevent (e.g., a news worthy event) occurs in the game, the user may beprovided with the option to continue previous task or to pursue newevent. If the user decides to pursue the interesting event, thatdecision indicates that the user has an investigative attribute (e.g., anose for news). This investigative attribute would be an attribute thatis important for a reporter or a detective.

In an embodiment, each question or situation may be tied to one or moreattributes. In one embodiment, a single attribute may be associated witheach sector. The single attribute is compared with the user attribute todetermine if the user has an interest or aptitude for the correspondingsector.

Optionally or additionally, one or more attributes may be configured ina hierarchy of attributes, ranging from the most important attribute(e.g., having the highest importance level of 1), to the second mostimportant attribute (e.g., having the importance level of 2), to thethird most important attribute (e.g., having the importance level of 3),etc. The hierarchy of attributes may include any number of attributes.In an example, the hierarchy may include 5 attributes, ranging from animportance level 1 (e.g., most important) to an importance level of 5(e.g., least important). The hierarchy of attributes may be weighted.The highest weight may be assigned to the most important attribute andthe lowest to the least important attributes.

Optionally or additionally, a user's response time (e.g., the time theuser takes to react to a question, to make a decision, to respond to asituation) may be measured. The measured response time may be used aspart of the determination or calculation of the user's attribute. In oneexample, if the user's response time is greater than a response timethreshold, then the system may determine that the user does not have theattribute associated with the question, answer or situation presented.If the response time is less than the threshold, then it may bedetermined that the user does have the attribute associated with thequestion, answer or situation presented.

In one embodiment, attributes are used for aptitude and interestassessment. Attributes are unique and specific traits that relate toparticular sector. A unique or special language may be used to defineattributes for each sector. For example, an attribute for a pilot may be“keeps calm, doesn't lose control.” As another example, the attributefor TV reporter may be having a “nose for news.” These unique andspecific attributes may be specifically assigned to the appropriatesector.

In another embodiment, abilities may also be used for aptitude andinterest assessment. Abilities may be general traits relating to aparticular sector or profession. Attributes, on the other hand may beunique and specific to a sector or profession. The abilities may be usedin combination with attributes.

Abilities include, for example, abstract reasoning, analogic reasoning,attention, auditory discrimination, cognitive flexibility, cognitivefluency, common sense, concentration, deductive reasoning, expressivelanguage, eye-hand coordination, fine motor coordination, gross motorcoordination, ideational fluency, inductive reasoning, logicalreasoning, long-term auditory memory, long-term sequential memory,long-term verbal memory, long-term visual memory, mental manipulation,mental planning, nonverbal concept formation, nonverbal reasoning,numerical reasoning, receptive language, short-term auditory memory,short-term sequential memory, short-term verbal memory, short-termvisual memory, sequential processing, simultaneous processing, socialjudgment, verbal analytic reasoning, verbal concept formation, verbalprocessing, verbal synthetic reasoning, visual analytic processing,visual discrimination, visual-motor coordination, visual syntheticprocessing, visual perception, visual perceptual accuracy, visualperceptual reasoning, visual processing speed, visual scanning,visual-spatial organization, visual tracking, and working memory.

The identification of an attribute or hierarchy of attributes, for eachsector, may be based on information received from a quintessential(e.g., an expert in the area) in that sector, a major corporations inthat sector, a child development expert, a national association,surveys, other research and/or major search firms/experts who know whatattributes are most significant or desirable in a particular sector.This information may also be used to determine the hierarchy and/orweights for the attributes. Information on important or desirableattributes for sectors may be gathered, analyzed, identified anddetermined. The cross-references attributes and sectors may be stored inan attribute database. Checks and balances are applied so that theattributes and/or attribute hierarchy information is based on a censusof experts or sources.

In an embodiment, if a user answers a question or reacts in a certainmanner, this indicates that the user has a particular attribute requiredor desirable for a particular sector. However, if the user does notanswer the question or react in a certain manner, this indicates thatthe user does not have that attribute, thus the user would not have anaptitude or interest for that sector.

In an embodiment, it is required that the user have the most importantattribute of the sector in order for the sector to be recommended orsuggested. In another embodiment, even if the user does not have themost important attribute, the user may have a combination of otherattributes in the hierarchy of attributes that indicate that the usermay have an aptitude or interest for a particular sector. The user'sattribute or attributes can be determined in one interactive session(e.g., in one game or virtual world session) or a series of interactivesessions. The series of interactive sessions may be presented over aperiod of time, providing an accurate result of the attribute possessedby the user.

In an embodiment, the user's aptitude may be calculated using, forexample, the information received from the user as well as informationfrom experts, research, etc. Different techniques may be used tocalculate the user's attribute. For example, a normal or average scoremay be established for one or more attributes associated with a sector.The norm or average can be used as a benchmark. As the user interactsduring the information gathering sessions, the user's inputs are used tocalculate a score for the user associated with the one or moreattributes. If the user's score falls, for example, in the top 10%, 15%,25%, etc. ranking as compared to the average score for the associatedattribute, the user may be credited with that attribute. This scoringinformation is used determine if the user has the attribute that isrequired for a particular sector. If a user falls below the averagescore, the system may determine that he does not have the attribute.

An attribute database including a plurality of sectors is provided, asshown in 1135. The attribute database may be stored anywhere in thesystem shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Each of the plurality of sectors in thedatabase may be assigned or include one or more attributes. Theseattributes could be listed as entries associated with each sector or maybe mapped to each sector. The one or more attributes may be the mostimportant attribute or attributes, or may be a hierarchy of attributesassociated with the sector. The attributes and/or hierarchy ofattributes associated with each sector and, populating the attributedatabase, may be determined as described above. A database lookup isperformed using the user attribute to identify a sector, as shown in1140. The sector or sectors identified by the database lookup may beretrieved, as shown in 1145.

Any number of techniques may be used to identify and/or retrieve asector or sectors from the database. In one example, the database may besearched for all sectors having an entry that contains the user'sattribute. Sectors that have the user's attribute as the important ormost important attribute, in the hierarchy, may be retrieved as sectorsthat may be relevant to the user. Thus, In one embodiment, matching themost important attribute returns a recommended sector. Optionally oradditionally, sectors that have the user's attribute as the top two ortop three most important attribute may be retrieved from the database.Other techniques may be used to retrieve a sector or sectors from thedatabase based on the user attribute.

As stated above, the interactive sessions may present one or moreinteractive gaming sessions to the user. The gaming sessions may providevarious challenges or obstacles for the user to overcome. The user'sperformance in dealing with the various challenges or obstacles may bemonitored and the user attribute may be determined or calculated bythese responses.

In an embodiment, a sector for which the user may have aptitude orinterest is identified during stage one interaction. Once the sector isidentified, the user may be presented with stage two interaction. Thestage two interaction may be a confirmatory interactive session used toconfirm whether the user has the aptitude or interest for the identifiedsector. The stage two interaction can include additional interactivegames and/or interactive sessions. For example, the user may be providedwith a virtual world. In the virtual world, the user may interact withother users (e.g., a multi-player game) or play alone. In the virtualworld, the user may play out a particular profession, for example, byusing an avatar acting out the profession. The avatar may be a characterthat the user creates or an avatar selected from an available assortmentof avatars. The avatar may be used throughout the assessment process(e.g., for multiple games or interactive sessions). The avatar mayrepresent the user and the avatar may inherit the attributes or traitsof the user during the assessment process or interactive sessions.

In stage two, the user may face challenges or obstacles, in the virtualworld, associated with the identified sector. The performance of theuser may be monitored over the course of the game or games in thevirtual world to verify that the user has aptitude in or for thatsector. More specifically, whether the user possesses one or more of theattributes needed for the particular sector. A verified attribute forthe user based on the user interaction in the second stage (e.g., thevirtual world in the identified sector) is determined or calculated. Areverse lookup operation is performed in the database using theidentified sector to identify an attribute associated with theidentified sector. The verified attribute is compared with the attributeidentified in the database to confirm that the user has aptitude orinterest for the identified sector based on the verified attribute andthe identified attribute from the database. If the verified attributematches the identified attribute, identification of the identifiedsector is provided to the user. The match confirms that the user hasaptitude for the identified sector. If the verified attribute does notmatch the identified attribute, an indication is provided to the userthat the user does not have aptitude for the identified sector.

If the verified attribute does not match the identified attribute,another database lookup may be performed using the verified attribute toidentify and/or retrieve a revised sector. Once the revised sector isidentified or retrieved, the user may be notified of the revised sector.Also, another second stage interactive session may be presented to theuser. This second stage is a virtual world used to confirm whether theuser has aptitude or interest for the revised sector.

In an embodiment, a confirmation, whether the user has aptitude for thesector, is accomplished by directly comparing the user attribute withthe verified attribute. In this embodiment the user attribute istypically stored in memory from early interactions with the user. If theverified attribute matches the user attribute, identification of theidentified sector is provided to the user. This match confirms that theuser has aptitude for the identified sector. If the verified attributedoes not match the user attribute, another lookup is performed in theattribute database using the verified attribute to identify a revisedsector. Further assessments or interaction games may be presented to theuser to confirm and/or fine tune the assessment results.

The games or interaction tools may include a variety of input interfacesor techniques for the player to input information. For example, a playermay use a mouse, a keyboard, helmet, gloves or other such interfacetools. In an embodiment, the system may include an interface tool thatcan help younger children express themselves. FIGS. 12, 13 and 14 relateprimarily to a virtual world embodiment. With regard to FIG. 12embodiment is shown in which virtual world activity is recorded,analyzed, combined or compared, and reported. Specifically, useractivity and or interaction in the virtual world is recorded and storedin a storage device or memory 1205 The recorded information is thenanalyzed in a processing step 1210 The analyzed information is thencompared or combined with past experiences of the user, other users, aprofessional and/or an expert 1215 By comparing this information orcombining the relevant information with past experience a report can beprovided. The report can be provided via electronic means such aselectronic mail and/or through a virtual world 1220

In most embodiments the user will be a child or young adult and thevirtual world or games would be played by the child or young adult. Aparent's virtual world may be created by the system for parents tointeract with other parents and for parents to obtain information aboutthe child's virtual world as well as to retain reports on the child'sassessment and aptitude. The parent's virtual world becomes a socialnetwork in which parents may swap information and stories about theirchildren.

FIG. 13 is another virtual world embodiment. The first step in thisembodiment is that the system watches the moves of a child in thevirtual world and records those moves as necessary to monitor thechild's aptitude and assessment 1345 Indicators are created based on themoves which are recorded in Step 1345 Not all moves in the virtual worldand not all the raw data from the moves in the virtual world are neededin order to perform an assessment of aptitude and interest. Also the rawdata from the moves in the virtual world are often not in a formatthat's appropriate or easily used in performing an aptitude and interestassessment. Therefore, in this embodiment the raw data of the moves inthe virtual world are converted or saved as indicators by screening outsome of the moves and/or by converting or processing the move data ifnecessary 1350 Alternatively, in an embodiment the assessment can bemade based directly on the moves or raw data from the virtual world1350.

The history of a particular child's prior moves or historical data onother children's moves in the virtual world can be used in performing anassessment 1350 One of the things that can be assessed is how a childplays particular games in the virtual world 1355. Also, the system mayassess how a child handles himself or plays in the virtual world such ashow well he does at a profession in the virtual world, how well he doesat activities, tasks or obstacles in the virtual world 1360. In thismanner the child's conduct or performance in the virtual world ismonitored to assess his aptitude and interest in particular professions,sectors or areas of life 1360 The indicators recorded and/or assessmentsobserved or recorded in this process are then analyzed in order tocreate data which may be used for a final comparison and generation ofan assessment report 1365. This analysis of indicators and preliminaryassessments made for example in steps 1350, 1355 and 1360 may beanalyzed, process and assessed as described elsewhere in thisspecification.

In addition, it will be appreciated that various methods of analysis ofthe indicators or analysis of the preliminary assessment data may beperformed. Some of these analyses may be as simple as determiningwhether a user in the virtual world has reached a certain goal or aplateau. Other methods include comparing the performance of the user orchild with an adult, a professional in the field or sector, or expertsin a particular field or sector. Therefore, while analysis of the datamay be made to determine user attributes indicating an aptitude orinterest of the user in a particular sector, various modifications andvariations are possible.

A list of items that may be used as indicators or for assessment includethe following:

-   -   Is the child a pioneer and/or does child explore new lands    -   Does the child like to be first or an improver    -   A team leader or a team player    -   Like to invent and what types of things invent    -   Like to create new games    -   How they do in a certain profession    -   How do they feel about currency and/or obtaining things    -   Do they “give back” to the world and/or to other kids    -   Like to create videos    -   How expansive is their imagination?

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the analyzed data is compared withother available data to help create an assessment report. Alternatively,the analyzed data may be combined with other information or other datain order for the report reader to have some baseline information orcomparison information to reach the report readers conclusion 1370. Thisavailable data may be historical data, past experience data, or datafrom other users, data from professionals, experts, older children, oradults. This available data maybe stored in various locations throughoutthe system.

In the embodiment of FIG. 13, after the comparison or combination isperformed 1370, a report is created 1375 and the report is delivered tothe report reader 1380. Various methods of creating a report may be usedincluding methodologies known from database report generators. Reportsmy be delivered to report readers such as parents by hard copy, byelectronic means such as electronic email, text messaging, voicemessages and virtual world means. In addition, an entire separatevirtual world may be created such as a parent's virtual world in whichthe parents may access the report and assessment information by enteringthe parent's virtual world and interacting with the parent's virtualworld.

FIG. 14 shows an embodiment of an island in a virtual world in whichuser would interact in order for an aptitude or interest assessment tobe conducted 1400. Some activities that a user may participate on theisland include exploration in the virtual world of other lands orislands, creation of inventions in various technology areas, discoverywork for example in the areas of nature and science and forestry. A usermay participate in the market area of the island by operating a store orshop in a business-like fashion. Games as well as participation in townschool activities are available on the island. Users may also gainfurther information about the virtual world, travel within the virtualworld and examine what's new or cool in the virtual world. The islandhas a port available in the virtual world allowing users to leave andreturn to the island as well as to perform various sailing or wateractivities. Tree houses, huts and beaches are available to users forvarious activities and games. The island 1400 is an example of manyislands or locations which may be available in the virtual world for theuser to participate in various activities, obstacles, challenged,professions and events.

FIG. 15 illustrates an input interface tool that may be provided in, forexample, the AIA system. For example, the interface tool may include a“bag of words” tool that provides words, phrases, icons and/or imagesthe child can choose from to create responses and interact or connect tothe AIA system. The interface tool may present a question, as shown inthe interface screen 1200. The interface tool may also provide aplurality of categories associated with the question on the interfacescreen 1220, as shown. Each category from the plurality of categoriesmay include a plurality of entries relating to the question. Acombination of the plurality of entries may represent one or moreanswers to the presented question. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, theinterface screen 1200 includes a question “Tell us what type of pet youwould like” Below the questions are presented four categories (e.g.,category 1, category 2, category 3 and category 4) containing entriesthe user can choose from to answer the question presented. The user maychose one entry from each category or multiple entries, if appropriate.The user may not need to chose an entry from each category, as long asthe complete answer is provided. The bag of words tool may be providedby, for example, a child/user interface routine or module 210, as shownin FIG. 2.

FIG. 16 illustrates a block diagram of a input interface systemdescribed in FIG. 15, in accordance with an embodiment. The system mayinclude a input/output module 1310, a category processing module 1320,and a answer processing module. The input/output module 1310 presents aquestion on a user display. The category processing module 1320 providesa plurality of categories on the user display. Each category from theplurality of categories comprises a plurality of entries relating to thequestion and wherein combinations of the plurality of entries representanswers to the presented question. The answer processing module 1340receives a user selection of one or more entries from the one or more ofthe plurality of categories. The user selection represents an answer tothe presented question. The input/output module 1310 may also presentthe selection to a user on a user display for viewing. The selectionrepresenting the user's answer to the question.

The input/output module 1310 may include an audio output module toprovide an audio output of the selection, questions, answers, categoriesand/or other information. This can be accomplished with text to audioconversion. The audio output representing the user's answer may requirethe user to confirm that the answer generated by the interface iscorrect. This confirmation may occur via the input/output module 1310.In an embodiment, artificial intelligence or other techniques may beused by the category processing module 1320 and/or answer processingmodule 1340 to generate the categories, the questions, the answersand/or to confirm that the user's selection provides a meaningful answerto the question presented. Multiple screens may be presented to the userto present questions and receive answers from the user.

The categories provided for selection may include entries in the form ofwords, icons, images, colors, shapes, or the like, as appropriate. Thewords may include nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, for example, thatthe child can choose from to respond to the question presented. The usermay simply select or click on the desired entry from the appropriatecategory, or may drag the entry to a location on the screen where theanswer is indicated. The bag of words tool may use previous answers todetermine which words or phrases should be presented for selection. Thistool is particularly helpful for a person that has difficulty reading,typing or spelling.

The various interactive sessions, processes, interfaces and assessmentsdescribed above may be implemented in the one or more components,modules, software and/or routines described above and shown in FIGS. 2and 3. Optionally or additionally, other components, modules, softwareand/or routines may be used to implement the various interactivesessions, processes, interfaces and assessments described above.

Several embodiments of the present invention are specificallyillustrated and/or described herein. However, it will be appreciatedthat modifications and variations of the present invention are coveredby the above teachings and within the purview of the appended claimswithout departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention.

1. A system for aptitude or interest assessment comprising: a virtualworld, wherein a user interacts with the virtual world; a storage devicethat stores some or all of the user's interactions in the virtual world;an assessment module which receives data from the storage device andprocesses the received data to make a user assessment, wherein theuser's aptitude or interest in a profession or activity is assessed; areport creator, wherein a report is created that provides the userassessment.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the storage device recordsthe user's interactions in the virtual worlds which are movements in thevirtual world.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the assessment modulecomprises: a generator that generates indicators from the received databased on a user's moves or history of moves represented by the user'sinteractions in the virtual world; and an analyzer that analyzes theindicators.
 4. The system of claim 3 wherein the assessment modulefurther comprises a comparison of the analyzed indicators against one ormore of: past indicators of the user, past indicators of other users,past indicators of professionals, and past indicators of experts.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the assessment module assesses one or more ofthe following about the user: (a) is the user a pioneer; (b) does theuser explore new lands; (c) does the user like to be first or animprover; and (d) a team leader or a team player;
 6. The system of claim1 wherein the assessment module assesses one or more of the followingabout the user: (a) interest in inventing and types of things invented;(b) interest in creating new games; (c) how user performed in a certainprofession; (d) user's interest in currency and/or obtaining things; (e)user's interest in giving back to the world and/or to other kids; (f)desire to create videos; and (g) user's imagination.
 7. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the report is delivered via electronic mail.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1 further comprising a second virtual world and thereport is delivered through the second virtual world.
 9. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the virtual world comprises one of more of: (a) islandsfor exploration; (b) games to be played by user; and (c) an inventionshop.
 10. The system of claim 1 wherein the virtual world comprises asoftware component for the user to create an avatar and that avatar isused in an activity in the virtual world, wherein the avatar's activityin the virtual world are attributed to the user and stored in thestorage device for use by the assessment module.
 11. A method forassessing a virtual world user's aptitude or interest in an activitycomprising: receiving data on a user's interactions in a virtual world;creating indicators for the user using the received data; analyzing theindicators using a processor; creating an assessment using the analyzedindicators and historical data; and generating a report on the user'saptitude or interest in an activity based upon the assessment.
 12. Themethod of claim 11 wherein the user's interactions are one or more of:movements within the virtual world; identification of a self-image oravatar for the virtual world; and practicing an activity.
 13. The methodof claim 12 wherein the activity is one of: a profession within thevirtual world; inventing; exploring islands; creating a game within thevirtual world; creating a video; and playing a game within the virtualworld.
 14. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of analyzing theindicators comprises determining a user attribute based on theindicators and wherein the analyzed indicators include the determineduser attribute.
 15. The method of claim 11 wherein the historical datais one or more of: existing data for the same user, existing data foranother user, existing data for other users, an average of existing datafor other users, existing data for a professional, and existing data foran expert.
 16. The method of claim 11 further comprises delivering thegenerated report electronically by electronic mail or through a virtualworld.
 17. A method for providing an assessment of a users interest oraptitude comprising: providing a virtual world interactive session to auser, wherein the virtual world interactive session provides one or moreof obstacles, activities, and role playing; receiving session data onthe user's virtual world interactive session; creating indicators basedon the received session data; analyzing the indicators using aprocessor; providing an assessment output using the analyzed indicatorsand historical data, wherein the output identifies one or more sectorsfor which the user has an interest or aptitude.
 18. The method of claim17 wherein the user interacts in the virtual world interactive sessionthrough an avatar.
 19. The method of claim 17 wherein the step ofanalyzing the indicators comprises determining a user attribute based onthe indicators; and wherein the step of providing an assessment outputcomprises using the user attribute to perform a lookup in a database toidentify one or more sectors.